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602 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2019
1. Ace of Shades ★★★★★
2. King of Fools ★★★★★
3. Queen of Volts
If someone wanted to call her naive, then they would. If someone wanted to call her heartless, then they would. It didn't matter whether she decked herself in knives or pearls. The world would always demand that a girl apologize for herself, but she would apologize for nothing.
"Oaths, omertas, Chainers - there's a reason so many in the North Side favor such weapons. New Reynes killed the queen the very day she hoped to negotiate peace. The City of Sin was built on duplicity."Friends, this was one of my most highly anticipated sequels of 2019 and Foody did not disappoint! There is a lot going on in this sequel and there is never a dull moment, but the narrative is easy to follow and infectious. Guard your hearts because if you were emotionally destroyed during Ace of Shades... uh... yea. I yelled HOW COULD YOU when I finished this one. This book is action-packed with character development galore and intensely feminist.
"Vianca wanted righteousness. Levi wanted glory. And she, Enne realized, wanted revenge."Every character in this book is searching for something, vying for power of their very own. Vianca Augustine particularly is disturbingly interesting, and if you pre-order this book you will learn a bit more of her backstory in the free short story that is the pre-order incentive.
"Despite his many recent and frightening brushes with death, the thought of failure scared him more. He would rather die a legend than end his life in anonymity."Levi's ambitions were definitely prevalent in Ace of Shades; however, they come to the fore in King of Fools as he will do anything to become a legend himself. He is determined to claim his destiny and freedom, and it is painful to watch his dogged pursuit for me as he is willing to sacrifice those he loves to get what he wants. Levi's dogged pursuit of becoming a legend and securing his freedom pits his aspirations with those he holds most dear. My heart hurts just thinking about it. I do think that the whole "forbidden love" aspect for Levi and Enne was a little heavy handed with the "will-they-won't-they" being dragged out, especially because they are my OTP. I really loved learning more of Lola and Jac's backstories, especially more about Levi and Jac's friendship. This little found family of Levi, Jac, and Enne is tested in King of Fools as each of them enter into unlikely partnerships.
"If Enne was about to become a street lord, then she could make her own rules. The City of Sin would learn that a pistol painted pink was just as lethal."Amanda's long referred to this installment as "the girl gang book," and that definitely describes this book. After the events of Ace of Shades, she has taken on the Seance persona to create her own gang (the Spirits), and the relationships that she builds with Lola and new additions to the cast are precious. I am so happy that we get to see more of Lola in this book, she provides levity and witty asides throughout.
"'Fine,' Lola huffed. 'But you better not be in trouble, because I really don't have time today to say you."The fact that she is a "rule-abiding, knife collecting fraud" cracks me up: she has no qualms with so much of what happens but won't jaywalk honestly would be me. Every character was fleshed out in this book as we learn more about their pasts, inner conflicts, and desires.
"Enne didn't want a savior. She wanted a partner."The leaders of the other street gangs and their seconds make random appearances, and I will admit that I had a difficult time keeping the many side characters straight. I do love how Enne and Levi are forced to grapple with the events of the first book, and how everything came back around by the end of this book. The last 35-40% of the book had me in an anxiety spiral and the ending broke me.
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“yesterday, he was vulnerable.
Today, He would become untouchable.
his destiny was upon him ...”
“she told me, evil isn't random. that's what makes it the opposite of goodness. evil is designed.”
"The hero of one story is the villain of someone else's. It's all just a matter of who wins."